Teachers Share their Experiences While Living Abroad!

I hope you’re a regular visitor to The Aclipse blog. We bloggers offer near daily tidbits of expat adventures in South Korea. This site’s not only a great source for potential teachers to see what daily life in Korea is like, it’s a roadmap for innumerable weekend adventures for those already living in the ROK. What kills me is that great posts by our resident bloggers are lost to the depths of our archives after a week on the first page. So to give them a little more life, I decided to take a few informative posts about the same topic and feature them here a bit. Do click on the links and enjoy.

As a blogger, I've received a substantial number of emails over the past two years. The common theme among the questions I get asked can easily be guessed: money. Understandably so, of course, as money is an important part of taking a job in a foreign country. So, it is my hope that the information I have gathered from the experiences of a variety of expats in Korea (myself, my friends, and my fellow Aclipse/Chungdahm bloggers) will help answer your burning money questions...

Before I came abroad, teaching English in Korea seemed appealing for several reasons; not only would I be able to forego all of the difficulties of getting a job in the United States during these tough economic times, but I would also be able to experience another culture firsthand. Add on gaining valuable teaching experience and a chance to travel throughout Asia, deciding to teach in Korea for a year began to seem like a no-brainer. However, now that I have lived here for six months, I realize one of the most attractive reasons to come and teach in Korea is the ease of saving money here.

Teachers moving to Korea to teach English will get to experience the future of finance with ATM bill paying! ChungDahm Learning teacher Sydney Langford created a comprehensive video blog showing just how you can use the ATM to directly transfer your payments...Now your bills can be paid at your leisure in Korea!

Two years ago, when I started toying with the idea of coming to Korea to teach English, my main concern was managing my finances back home. Like so many recent college graduates, I had student loans that would require monthly payments, a car lease, and a credit cards to pay down. Since I had never lived in another country, or been out of the country for that matter, I had no idea how efficient and simple Korean banking and managing your overseas accounts can be. So, if you're like me and you want the scoop on money matters before you head to Korea, read on for quick tips and tricks to help you save money, transfer large sums, and even pay your taxes.

I sat down with former EFL teacher Colleen Hartley (now an overseas recruiter with Aclipse) who taught in South Korea for 2 years. In our interview, she answers some common questions about moving to South Korea. You can also watch and learn more about Colleen's experiences in South Korea here!